Facebook The Top Spreader of Climate Misinformation Online?

According to a recent study, Facebook is fueling climate disinformation worldwide by encouraging false statements and climate skepticism to spread freely through its site.

To a Stop Funding the Heat Campaign report, the social media giant makes no mention of combating climate disinformation in its promotional policies or group expectations.

Fake Claims

Fake claims that freezing wind turbines were the key cause of Texas power outages and misleading rumors that bushfires in Australia were caused by arson are examples of disinformation widely circulated on Facebook.

Sean Buchan, the report's lead author, told Climate Home News, "Facebook is talking the talk but not walking the walk on climate disinformation."

"They claim to be doing a lot about it," Buchan said, "but we haven't seen any proof that they are battling climate disinformation with the zeal they claim."

Facebook told Climate Home News that its Climate Science Knowledge Centre, which launched in September, directly links over 100,000 users with credible information every day. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the United Nations Environment Programme all contribute data and specialist advice to the center.

A Facebook spokesperson said, "We fight climate change disinformation by partnering with a global network of impartial fact-checking partners to review and rate content."

Spread of Disinformation

But, according to Buchan, the center would not go far enough to ensure that climate disinformation is not spread.

"Right now, it isn't enough. Climate disinformation will be on the rise as Cop26 approaches," Buchan predicted.

"It is a huge chance for Facebook to lead the way on this. Misinformation efforts have thwarted similar incidents in the past," he said.

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Global Disinformation

From Australia to the United States, the study highlights the global scope of disinformation.

According to the paper, bots and trolls circulated misleading messages on Facebook during the Australian bushfires last year, alleging that conservation activists were to blame.

In February, false statements by conservative pundits in the United States were posted on Facebook without fact-checking stickers, claiming that frozen wind turbines were triggering widespread power outages in Texas.

Fact Checking

Snopes, a fact-checking website, has labeled these statements as "completely fraudulent." The failure of fossil fuel and nuclear power generation was the primary cause of power outages. According to the study, wind turbine shutdowns, far from being the primary cause, accounted for just a small portion of the total loss of electricity and power production.

The top ten Facebook posts about wind turbine accidents earned more than 15.8 million shares, according to the human rights organization Avaaz. According to Avaaz, Facebook refused to add a fact-checking mark to 42 entries, accounting for 45 percent of its estimated views.

End Climate Silence manager Genevieve Guenther has firsthand experience of Facebook's weak policy on climate disinformation.

Stop Funding the Heat demands that Facebook upgrades its community and advertisement policies to include climate misinformation and stop accepting funds from climate-denying organizations in its study.

Brands and advertisers, according to Buchan, are critical drivers of Facebook's anti-misinformation efforts. "A brand could stop advertising if it doesn't want to be associated with a particular piece of misinformation. "Brands will put Facebook's bottom line in jeopardy," he added.

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